Wheel and rail brake



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model'.)

J GIBBONS y WHEEL AND RAIL BRAKE.

No. 537,191. Patented Apr. 9, 1895.

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(NWO Model.) I 2 sheets-sheet 2.

`J. GIBBONS.

y WHEEL AND RAIL BRAKE. INo. 537,191. Patented Apr. 9, 1895.

JOHN GIBBONS, OF WEST TROY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIREOT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF TWO-THIRDS TO STEPHEN J. BROWN, OF TROY, AND JOHN H.

Nrrnn' STATES' JONES, OF` WEST TROY, NEW YORK.

'WHEEL AND RAIL BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 537,191, dated April 9, 1895.

Application filed January 2, 1894. Serial No.1195,313.` (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN GIBBoNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Troy, county of Albany, and State of New York, have '5 invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vheel and Rail Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to such improvements and consists of the novel construction and ro combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, whichl form a part of this specificar tion.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

Figure l of the drawings is acentral vertical longitudinal section of a car provided with zo my improved brake. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the shoe-supporting link taken through the guide-anges on the broken line 2 2, in Fig. l, and showing the brake-shoe and rail in top plan. Fig. 3 is a cross-section 2 5 of the brake-shoe taken on the broken line 3 3, in Fig. 2. Fig. 4t is a view in side elevation of the brake-shoe and its supporting mechanism on an enlarged scale, and detached from the car. Fig. 5 isla top'plan view of the 3o yoke-lever for supporting the vertical link to which the brake-shoe is attached.

A represents the car-bottom or door; A being the front platform and A2 the rear platform, each platform, having a dashboard A8.

The car rests upon a wheeled truck which may be of any known desired form.

A4 represents the truck-frame; A5, the springs connecting the truck with the carbody, and A6 the car-wheels mounted upon 4o the axles A7.

Intermediately of the axles and parallel therewith,I place two rock-shafts B, and B, which have end bearings in the. sides of the truck-frame. Each shaft is provided near leach end with a rock-lever B2 which projects toward the neighboring axle and vertically over one of the track-rails R. Pivoted upon each lever is a pendent link B3 to the lower end of which is pivoted the brake-shoe B4.

5o Each rock-shaft is also provided with a rocklever B5.

The rock-levers may be mounted upon a shaft, as shown, or may be pivoted upon the truck-frame in any known manner. each end-platform, l also provide a rock-shaft B6 movable in suitable bearings secured to the lowerside 'of the platform, and provided with a depending rock-lever B7. The rocklever, beneath the front platform is connected with the rock-lever B5 onthe rear rock-shaft B by a link'BS; and the rock-lever beneath the rearplatform is connected with the rocklever B5 on the front rock-shaft B, by a link Bits Each rock-shaft B6 is also provided with a rock-lever B10 adapted to be operated by a foot-pin B12 inserted through a suitable aperture in `the platform -fioor and projecting above the floor in a convenient position to be operated by the foot of the brakemah.

' The controlling springs B13 serve to operate the levers in one direction, and through the connecting mechanism above described to maintain the brake-shoes in an elevated po'- sitiou just above the track-rail, which is the position of the forwardshoe as shown in Fig. l.

To apply th'e brakes, the foot-pin ou the front platform is depressed until'the shoesin front of the rear wheels strike the track-rails, whereupon the friction between the shoes and rails retards the shoes until they are engaged by the rear wheels and wedged in between the wheels and rails to brake the car by friction both on the rail and on the wheel.

lWhen the brake-shoe is in an elevated position, the shoe-supporting link B rests by gravity against/the yoke B1G of the bifurcate lever B?, which yoke serves as'a stop.

By making the shoes wedge-shaped with the bit of the wedge next to the adjacent Wheel, the wheel will either run up the incline or bear more heavily upon the shoes, when the momentum of the car is checked by the brake, thus increasing the frictional resistance between the shoes andrails toV stop the car.

When the car is propelled by an electric motor having a heavy rapidly rotating armature geared to the wheeliaxle, some part of the mechanism would be broken if the rotary movement of the wheels were checked too suddenly. As a means for overcoming such danger, I provide each of the shoes with a fric- Beneath IOO tion-roll C upon which the truck-wheels may continue to rotate after they have left the rails until the armature ceases to rotate.

The friction rolls may be severally supported by the pivots C; and when desired may be supported upon the pivot C2 whieh connects the shoe to its supporting link, in the position of the roll C3 in Fig. 4.

.By having the shoes pivotally connected with the respective supporting links, they will when in use always bear throughout their length upon the rails and will not be subjected to such strains as would be imposed with a rigid connection between the shoe and link. I also provide for each shoe and its supporting mechanism guide-flanges C4 projecting toward the adjacent wheel and adapted to embrace the rim of the wheel 0n Opposite sides and retain the shoe in the plane of its Wheel. rlhe position of the rim of the wheel relatively to the shoe and gnide-fianges is indicated by dotted lines C5 in Fig. 2. I also provide the bottom of each shoe with a detachable plate or rubber C which may be made of metal, emery, stone or other desired material.

The rubbing-plate may be detachable and secured to the shoe in any known manner, as by the dove-tailed tongue and groove C7.

My improved brake is especially adapted for emergencies when the ordinary wheel-brake is inadequate. It is also especially useful as a safety mechanism on steep grades.

XVith the constructions heretofore Ain use it has been customary to drop the oscillatory end of a dogpivoted tothe car, when ascending steep grades, and allow such end to bump along over the pavement, producing a disagreeable noise and vibration as wellas wear upon the dog and pavement. Unless dragged upon the pavement the car might, in case of accident, acquire such a backward speed and momentum before the dog could be dropped as to break the dog, or throw the car fromthe track. I have ascertained that the idle brakeshoes adjacent to the forward wheels, in my improved device, can be made to perform all the useful functions of the dog without the annoyances and dangers incident to the use of a dog.

I provide each of the rock-levers B5 with a wrist-pin D, and connect the wrist-pins by the rigid links or rods D with the short ends of a pair of hand-levers pivoted at D3 upon the outer side of the front and rear dashboards respectively. The long ends D4 of the levers reach up above the top of the dashboards and afford a convenient means by which the operator can instantly force the forward shoes against the track-rails behind the wheels, in position to be engaged thereby when the car acquires a backward down grade movement. One great advantage of such a form of construction is that the shoes may be safely applied to resist a down grade movement even after the car has acquired a considerable headway,

Each rigid link D' is provided with a slot D6 adaptedto form a slideway for the wristpin D when the brakes are operated by the foot-pins to arrest the forward movement of the car, the pinDslidingalong itsslot B and permitting the rigid link D and hand-level' D to remain at rest.

The brake mechanism is so arranged that the car may be run with either end in advance, but the operator is supposed to occupy the forward platform.

When the rubbing-plate C is made of metal, as steel, I provide the saine with a roughened or file-like surface as shown at CB in Fig. 4.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wheel'andmaii brake for railway cars, the combination with a pair of brakeshoes and means for movably supporting the shoes one in front and the other in rear of a car-wheel, of apair ot' operating levers on each end of the car, and operating connections between each shoe and one of each pair of levers, substantially as described.

2. In a wheel'and-rail brake for railwaycars, the combination with a pair of brakeshoes, and means for movably supporting the shoes one in front and the other in rear of a carswheel, of a foot-lever and a hand-lever on one end of the car, and independent connections between the hand-lever and one shoe, and between the foot-lever and the other shoe, substantially as described.

3. In a wheel-and-rail brake for railwaycars, the vcombination with a pair of brakeshoes and means for movably supporting the shoes, one in front and the other in rear of a car-wheel, of afootglever and a handflever on each end of the car, operating connections between one shoe and the foot-lever on one end of the car and the hand-lever on the other end of the car, and operating connections between the other shoe and the other foot and hand levers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set `my hand this 21st day of December, 1893.

JOHN GIBBONS.

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